Who will care for carers?

PEOPLE who give up their own time to care for sick or disabled family members are often selfless to the point of neglecting their own health and happiness. But that is no excuse for society as a whole to overlook them.

If the six million carers in Britain were to walk away from their individual labours of love the state could not afford to pay for all the people who would be needed to take their place.

The vast majority of carers would of course never entertain such an idea and are therefore highly vulnerable to exhaustion, depression and material deprivation.

The Carers Trust has come into being to put such people in touch with the available support and to campaign to increase that support. It is the epitome of a good cause and deserves to go from strength to strength.